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   Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:00 JST Velocipede Rider

   in reply to

   • Hippo 🍉

   @badrihippo Credit Cards are full of redundant methods for getting account information off them

   1. The numbers being printed are from when the merchant would transfer by writting them out, with a pen
   2. Embossing to work with card imprinters
   3. Mag stripe to work with mag stripe readers

   In Norway these days it is 90% contactless with the very occasionally insert of the chip. You can remove all 3 of the above and it would not really matter at all.

   • Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:01 JST Velocipede Rider

     in reply to

     • Hippo 🍉

     @badrihippo Well I am old enough to recall seeing them used.

     At least I recall my parents handing over cards to be imprinted this way. I don't think I have ever used one with my own cards that I recall.

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     Hippo 🍉 (badrihippo@fosstodon.org)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:02 JST Hippo 🍉

     in reply to

     @ruari wow I didn't know *that* was the reason for embossed cards 😮

     I'd just assumed they were just there for style or something 😅

   • Embed this notice
     Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:03 JST Velocipede Rider

     in reply to

     Just to clarify one point, card imprinters might now be pointless but I do personally think they were a brilliant solution at the time. They are so much quicker (and more accurate) at recording the account details than someone handwritting them out. So while their time has come and gone, hats off to whichever individual(s) that came up with this idea in the first place. It was a brilliant little hack.

     [And yes I am using "hack" in it's more traditional sense]

   • Embed this notice
     Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:04 JST Velocipede Rider

     in reply to

     Having an embossed card seems particularly stupid in 2025. Those old "Knuckle Busters" cannot be used anywhere, anymore. So there is no advantage to them.

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_imprinter

   • Embed this notice
     Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:05 JST Velocipede Rider

     in reply to

     The obvious advantage of stripping the numbers off the front (or entirety) of the card is for security/privacy. If they are seen† it is not possible for a nefarious person to memorise or quickly photograph the number.

     Indeed I cannot think of any good reason for modern cards to continue to print the number across the front. If your bank does, maybe tell them to stop it.

     † Just a few years back I could not have posted a picture like this on social media without compromising my account details.

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     Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:06 JST Velocipede Rider

     in reply to

     Here is an old image of more of my cards. I switched some of them since this picture but still none have any card account number on the front, unlike my cards further in the past.

   • Embed this notice
     Velocipede Rider (ruari@velocipederider.com)'s status on Thursday, 30-Jan-2025 00:12:07 JST Velocipede Rider

     One of my own numberless† cards, for those that have not seen such things before. Other companies that offer them include Chase (UK) and also the Apple card.

     And yes this is a real, usable card and no I did not remove anything. This is how it is issued.

     † It has a number obviously, just not printed on the card. I can access it though the app and website associated with my account and I also store it in my password manager for convenience.